This is the first page of a siddur (prayer book) printed in Germany in 1937. The Hebrew text explains that the siddur contains prayers for all days of the year as well as the Torah readings. On this page there is a Nazi stamp that reads: “Reich Institute for the History of the New Germany.”
This siddur was printed two years after the Nuremberg Laws and one year before Kristallnacht. The fact that a siddur like this was printed in Germany during these years shows that despite the difficulties, Jewish life was still continuing.
The Nazi stamp, clearly visible towards the bottom of the page, shows that at some point this siddur was confiscated by the Institute for History of the New Germany, which established a special research department to study the “Jewish Question.” In addition, Hitler also intended to create a museum by which to remember the Jewish people. This would be opened after the war to allow people to learn about the “extinct” Jewish People. This siddur might have been intended for this museum.
This siddur was found by chance in the National Library of Israel’s prayer room, buried inside a container of siddurim that are used in daily prayer services.
